“…a man’s life was little more than an instant and that as time was eternal therefore every man was always and eternally in the middle of his journey, whatever be his years or whatever distance he had come.”

-Cities of the Plain, McCarthy

Hey folks!

Today marks the official release of “Biological Deadline”, my third solo album via Bandcamp! The album’s full of perfect autumn jams, ready for any winter BBQ or lazy afternoon in a pile of leaves. What? The new album finds me working with other musicians straddling the lines of apocalyptic electronica, avant-ambient folk, underground Derp-hop, and modern classical grime music, all whilst taking my bizarrely individual noodlings into uncharted territory. And Biological Deadline now been lauded one of DARPA’s Summer Albums You Gotta Fear!

If you haven’t heard them already (or want to hear them now that you’ve heard the originals), Biological Extension contains remixes by Floader, Awning, Alto Clark and Banginclude to check out here. Check it all out here: Biological Extension

Keep reading if you’re curious about album credits and crave further explanation of my album process and philosophy…

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Biological Deadline
most of the music: elijah b torn
some drums (and many consecutive listens): eric perlmutter
some guitar: dan venne
some more guitar: chris buono
even more guitar( classical and slide), harmonium and some piano: david torn
some cello: greg heffernan
some banjo: jon francis
some viola: cody torn
some trumpet: scott hampton
some album art: jessica appleby ohtenforty.com
mixing: ebt
mastering: david torn

Living and creating music under a shell was fine and dandy. Due to recent events, however, I found myself coming out of my Bunker with a hankering for interaction with other musicians. Upon reemergence, I found that society had become a preindustrial wasteland. This time there were residual technological aspects integrated into our agrarian life. The uber-Elite had been moving towards their very own Singularity,focusing on uploading their brains to 3-dimensional processor chips and molding the universe to fit their id-driven needs.

Prosthelytizers, mountebanks and looters infested the ruins of our cities. The orthoprax faded within a generation, unable to adopt a new worldview. Our return to working the land fostered great pride in things created with our own hands. That is what this album means for me. This album is neither purely electronic nor acoustic, but rather a merging of the two to reflect a new cycle of the world – my world.

As I found myself observing this oddly diametric vision of the future. I realized not only that was time cyclical but also that it was represented in all aspects of everything, ever. The microcosm starts with personal daily life but also broadens to all of humanity: We all have a deadline, both collectively and individually.

The recording of Biological Deadline was accomplished in several stages…

It all began in a bunker in an undisclosed, isolated location fit with the acoustic guitar tracking. Some modular synth, tape loops and live electornic manipulation took place there as well. CTorn’s viola was tracked in a random field upstate NY. DTorn’s slide guitar was tracked up the river in a marshland, as was the classical guitar. TSchietroma tracked his percussion on an airstrip somewhere in the upstate region as well. DVenne tracked his guitar in Brooklyn because he is cool. SHampton tracked his trumpets in Washington Heights because that’s how he rolls. CBuono and JFrancis recorded in New Jersey. Yeah that happened.

All of EPerlmutter’s drums were tracked at MassiveMusic in New York City, in which a plethora of coffee,beer and other morsels were consumed in an effort to create the perfect balance of anxious relaxation (or, relanxiation). GHeffernan’s cello parts were also recorded at MassiveMusic, as were ETorn’s percussion and (lots of) bass, reamped synthesizers and some extra special reverbs. The album was also mixed at MassiveMusic.

I have no idea where DTorn mastered it but he made the mixes sound way better.

JAppleby made the beautiful artwork in the Pioneer Valley (which is a fitting name).

Join us this Thursday as poet/rapper TK Wonder performs with Danny Blume and Elijah B. Torn. Initially a poet, she has transitioned to rapping, propelled by her combination of “stage presence and sharply-honed writing skills,” which “merge to create a unique style of telling stories and addressing social issues with intricately-intertwined and multiple-syllable rhymes” (ReverbNation). TK Wonder’s electro punch, “slamming lyrics,” and unique hip-hop/spoken word fashion have resonated with audiences internationally, including at international electronic festivals such as VIP, Exit Fest, Belgrade Beer Fest, and Tuborg Greenfest in Europe with audiences ranging from 50,000 to 125,000 people. TK Wonder has played along side artists such as N.E.R.D., The Prodigy, and the Sex Pistols, and has opened for Nas.

Grammy-winner Danny Blume is a music producer, mixer, engineer, composer, and musician who cuts a lot of firewood. Chris Castagno and he built GoodandEvil, a recording studio/ production company after more than a decade in New York, and he has performed in bands of all genres and persuasions. In 2007, he received a Grammy for Best Contemporary World Music Album for the album “Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie” with The Klezmatics. He has performed on Conan O’ Brien and Saturday Night Live, and toured in the US and Europe with his electronic group Liminal.